How to be the god that your child sees
By Ijeoma Anyanwu
“After the Lord had finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “I am angry with you and your two friends, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.” (Job 42:7)
Good intention is not enough
Job's friends sounded deeply spiritual and convincing. The only problem was that their words were not truth but assumptions, religious assumptions. Their words were not from the Lord but from their personal assessment of Job's situation. They had used their eyes and minds to assess his predicament. And their conclusion was that he must have done something wrong to have been facing such troubles. As far as their religious expertise revealed, no good person would ever suffer such losses. They sounded deeply spiritual and convincing. But the Lord was not in it.
Your responsibility as a parent is
to bring His love, grace, and truth—
to your family and loved ones;
not your personal or generational ideologies
and customs (that have no bearing with the truth)
As stated in Job 1:8, the Lord's opinion of Job and what He had to say about Him differed greatly from their statements. And so, as far as the Lord was concerned, they had misrepresented Him when it mattered most. In the words of Job, they had proven to be unreliable brooks to him in his hour of need (Job 6:14-16). Job's friends may have had good intentions. They wanted to encourage their friend in his distress. But they failed to take a few important things into consideration:
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It is always about the Lord and His plan
The plan and its execution must always be about the Lord and not about you.
The goal of your parenting should never be about showcasing your spiritual, or intellectual brilliance to your family. It should be about helping your child grow to be who he was created to be. It should be about establishing the values and principles of the Kingdom in the hearts and minds of your child and the members of your household (Gen 18:17-19). Your child needs to see you as his primary educator, or as the disciples of our Lord perceived Him—both in terms of physical and spiritual things.
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It is about teaching and modelling truths
Remember that when it comes to living for the Lord, about Kingdom matters and life in general, it is not about you looking or sounding deeply spiritual; it’s about a commitment to honor the Lord by correctly representing Him before your children and household, saying, instructing/teaching, and doing only what the Lord instructs.
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It is about being a reflection of God's love and grace
Your responsibility as a parent is to bring His love, grace, and truth—to your family and loved ones; not your personal or generational ideologies and customs (that have no bearing with the truth)— You do this by focusing on Him and His Word, not on yourself.
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It is not about pretending to know it all or being perfect
Just because you are a parent does not make you a perfect, know-it all human. It is perfectly okay to say, "I don't know, dear." Or to just remain quiet when you are not sure about what to say. Jesus said, "I only say what I hear My Father say, and say it the way He says it."(John 12:49-50) What this means is that if He is not hearing anything from His Father about the situation, He will be happy to be silent about it. And if He has to say something about it, it will be as the Father would say it. Because it is all about giving glory to the Lord by doing what pleases Him.
Your child does not see the Lord with His or Her physical eyes, you are the physical representative of Him that they see, hear and touch. So what you are, what you say and do should represent who He is and what He does.
Summary
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Good intention is not enough
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It is about teaching and modelling truths
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It is about teaching and modelling truths
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It is about being a reflection of God's love and grace
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It is not about pretending to know it all or being perfect
How are you ensuring that you accurately represent the Lord in your home, and before the members of your household?
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